Abstract

BackgroundThe indigenous health care system continues in the postcolonial era to be perceived by antagonists as a threat to Western medicine. It has been associated with ‘witchcraft’, actively discouraged and repressed through official government prohibition laws. Despite that, human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV and AIDS) patients consult both allopathic and indigenous health practitioners.AimThe study explored a collaboration model between allopathic and traditional health practitioners in the management of patients living with HIV and AIDS in postcolonial South Africa.SettingWe conducted six combined focus group discussions and four separate group discussions with each category of co-researchers.MethodsCombined and separate focus group discussions were conducted with community members, allopathic and indigenous health practitioners, applying the cyclical method in the decolonisation process. Their perceptions and experiences in the management of HIV and AIDS patients were explored, and finally decolonisation strategies suitable for collaboration in their context were identified.ResultsThe two health systems were rendering services to the same HIV and AIDS communities. Lack of communication created confusion. Collaboration was long overdue. A change in mindsets, attitudes and practices among practitioners was critical, with an acknowledgement that ‘neither health system is better than the other, but the two should be complementary, recognising that the culture and beliefs of patients influence their health-seeking behaviour’.ConclusionCo-researchers were committed to working together in the fight against HIV and AIDS infections. Their model for collaboration addresses the challenges of patients’ secrecy, treatment overdose and the abandonment of antiretroviral treatment. Through the application of a decolonisation process, their mindsets, attitudes and practices towards each other were changed, enabling the joint development of a custom model for collaboration between allopathic health practitioners and indigenous health practitioners in the management of patients living with HIV and AIDS.

Highlights

  • Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and the causative agent, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), have become one of the most serious health challenges that humanity is facing today.[1]

  • The concept of developing a collaboration model was influenced by a call made by both allopathic health practitioners (AHPs) and indigenous health practitioners (IHPs) to respect the rights of patients to choose health practitioners of their preferences,[18] and the overwhelming evidence that patients living with HIV and AIDS were consulting both systems.[3,4,5,6,7]

  • The study aimed to explore through the decolonisation processes[30] a model for collaboration between allopathic and traditional health practitioners to manage patients living with HIV and AIDS in postcolonial South Africa

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Summary

Introduction

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and the causative agent, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), have become one of the most serious health challenges that humanity is facing today.[1]. The Euro-Western-centric approaches of ‘come join our rank’ type of collaboration encountered setbacks because of lack of trust and community ownership.[8,9,10] Its often perceived to be aloof and focused on addressing allopathic problems. These approaches often do not recognise the existence of the acrimonious relationship between the two health systems, which is partly caused by centuries of colonisation.[11,12,13]. The indigenous health care system continues in the postcolonial era to be perceived by antagonists as a threat to Western medicine. Human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV and AIDS) patients consult both allopathic and indigenous health practitioners

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